


Dishes in the Sink

by ALC



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-21
Updated: 2017-03-21
Packaged: 2018-10-08 21:55:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10397025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ALC/pseuds/ALC
Summary: A few glimpses of Rose Tyler's life, all focused on the simple task of washing dishes.  Some are fluffy, some are angsty.This was written for the "I miss you" prompt on Timepetalsprompts.  I liked how it turned out, so I'm sharing it here. :)





	

Dishes in the Sink

Part I- Jimmy

“You’re going out again?” she asked, exasperated.

Jimmy stood up and glared. “Yeah, Rose, I am. Not a little boy anymore, am I? Don’t need to ask my mum permission to go out.” He stood up and scowled at her. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me. I worked all morning, came home, fixed your tea, and now I’m to clean up without any help?” She huffed. “Jimmy, when you said you wanted to live together, I expected that you’d be helpin’ me. ‘M not a maid.” 

“You’re the fuckin’ girl!” he snarled. “It’s your job to do this shit, not mine. You even have your own job, haven’t you? Get out of the house, make a little money but it’s not good enough, is it? Damn it Rose, what do you want? Huh?” 

Tears sprang to her eyes. “What I want, Jimmy, is your help. I don’t want to do this all on my own.” 

“Oh, it’s help you want, is it?” he challenged. “Here, Rose, let me give you a hand!” Standing quickly, he picked up his empty plate and glass, and strode towards the kitchen. He dropped them carelessly in the sink.

Rose heard the glass shatter and the plate thud loudly as they were thrown against the stainless steel. 

“Happy now?” he asked over his shoulder, as he walked out, slamming the door behind him. 

Her lower lip trembled as she picked the glass shards out of the sink. The plate had only chipped, but the tumbler had shattered into slender fragments. Carefully, she cleaned it up, her lower lip trembling. 

Was this what it was like? He expected her to work, to give up her dreams, and to take care of him so he could do what he wanted? She hissed as a sliver of glass cut her palm. A drop of crimson spattered on the floor. Rose closed her eyes, and grabbed a bit of kitchen towel, pressing it to the wound. She cleaned herself up and dutifully did the dishes, wondering how much longer she could stand living like this.

~OOoOO~

Part II- Mickey

It was the third time in five minutes she’d been jostled as Mickey jerked in reaction to what was happening in the football match. He was sitting on the end of the couch and she was sprawled out across the rest of it, her head resting in his lap. 

“Mickey?” she asked, looking up.

“Oh. Sorry, babe,” he smiled. “Just- it’s an important match, y’know?” 

She sighed. “They all are, according to you.” Sitting up, she picked up the two plates full of pizza crusts and crisp crumbs and walked into the kitchen. Discarding the food scraps in the bin, she looked at the sink full of days-old dishes in disgust. “Micks, how long has it been since you’ve washed up in here?” 

His head turned from the telly. “Dunno. Maybe a week?”

She grimaced. “You need to do a better job at keeping up with this stuff. You’re gonna get ants!” She paused. “Or worse!” 

“C’mon, babe, I’ll get to them later. Back out here,” he smiled, patting the sofa cushion. 

Rolling her eyes, Rose turned on the tap and started sorting out the disgusting mess. She moved the cutlery to one side, stacked the dirty plates up front, the glassware behind, and filled the lone pot with water and dish soap, temporarily letting it soak on the stove. Once the sink was cleaned out, she scrubbed it, filled it with soapy water, and set about the task of cleaning the whole lot. 

Mickey came out during the commercial break. “Rose, you don’t have to do these,” he said nuzzling her from behind. 

She sighed. “It’s alright, I’ve got them.” 

“Although,” he said, skimming his hand over her shoulder, down her back, and finally, over her bum, “it’s quite a nice view from this side.” He gave her arse a quick squeeze and she giggled. 

“Right, that’s enough! I’m trying to help here, and you’re not making it any easier. Now,” she said, picking up a wooden spoon, “I suggest you get back to watching the match.”

He waggled his eyebrows. “Or what? I get the spoon?” 

She looked it over. “I’d be more worried about what’s caked to the spoon than the spoon itself.” 

Mickey wrinkled his nose. “You’ve got a point there.” He pecked her cheek. “Thanks, babe. You’re the best.” 

Rose rolled her eyes and grinned as she turned back to the soapy water. “Damn right I am.” 

~OOoOO~

Part III- The Ninth Doctor

“I wash, you dry?” the Doctor asked, shedding his dark jacket. He pushed the sleeves of his jumper up, baring his forearms. 

Rose smiled. “Yeah, but you cooked. Seems unfair. I can wash and dry.” 

The Doctor frowned slightly and shook his head. “I don’t mind. C’mon. Grab a towel.” 

The cutlery clanked as Rose gathered up the remains of their supper dishes and carried them over to the sink. One of the glasses slipped off the side of the plate, heading for the floor. 

Quick as a flash, the Doctor reached down and caught it, just before it smashed. “Jeopardy friendly,” he said grinning, shaking the glass in his hand. 

“Sorry!”

He waved her off, turning on the tap. Hot water and bubbles started to fill the sink, and he turned back to face Rose. “It wouldn’t have broken anyway. Twenty-sixth century glass is tempered and a lot tougher.”

Shaking her head and grinning, she handed him the plates and cutlery. “So, what you’re trying to tell me, Doctor,” she laughed, “is that it’s not just you who’s impressive; your drinking glasses are, too.” 

“Oi!” he grinned, turning back to the sink. “I’ll have you know that yes, Rose Tyler, we’re both very, very impressive.” 

She smacked him gently with the tea towel. “Shut up,” she laughed, leaning on his shoulder. 

“C’mon,” he said softly. “Sooner this mess is cleaned up, the better.”

She watched his hands as he carefully washed each item. He handled the plates and cups gently, as though they were totally dependent upon his delicate touch. Turning on the tap, he rinsed them, one by one, and set them on the dish rack. Her distraction didn’t go unnoticed. 

“You’ve got a funny way of drying dishes,” he said softly. 

She shook her head. “Sorry. Sorry…it’s just. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wash dishes before. You’re so…so…”

“Impressive?” he offered up with a smile, continuing the joke.

She giggled, picking up the towel. “Oh, absolutely.” 

He nodded. “I’ve been trying to tell you.” 

“I think it just surprised me.”

He handed her a few pieces of cutlery. “What did?”

“To see you wash things up. Don’t think I’ve ever really seen a man do that before.” She blushed a little. “You- you take such care.” 

He held up a plate. “One of the few things I have left from home.” 

She cleared her throat, feeling guilty and uncomfortable. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

He raised his eyebrows. “How could you? It’s alright. No harm done.”

“Dinner was nice,” she said quickly, trying to recover from her mistake. “Thanks again for cooking.” 

He chuckled. “Food’s not gourmet, but there’s plenty of it.”

It was her turn to smile. “How many times did you tell me that sauce you pulled out of the freezer was from a world renowned chef?”

“Oh. That.”

Bumping his shoulder with her own, she giggled. “Yeah. That.” 

The last two pans were quickly washed, dried, and put away when the Doctor turned to face her again. Calmly, he pushed the sleeves of his jumper down and gave Rose a smile.

She grinned. “So…library tonight? Or media room?”

He gave her a pained look. “If I say media room, are we doomed to watch that dreadful film about the lost fish again?”

“Oh, stop it. You love Nemo just as much as I do,” she said, grasping his hand. 

He rolled his eyes. “Library it is, then!” 

~OOoOO~

Part IV- Pete’s World 

Rose glanced down at her lap and tried to take a calming breath. It didn’t help. 

It was all too much to take in. After the maid refilled her water glass for the second time, she wondered what it felt like to have a nervous breakdown. Nothing in the house was right- everything was so posh. There was so much space and so many empty places to hide. The Doctor was gone, the TARDIS was gone, and she had nothing left except her mum. Pete, her almost-but-not-quite dad, was trying his best. But it wasn’t the same; nothing was the same. 

She needed to escape, if only for a few minutes- she needed to do something comforting, something familiar. Looking down, she saw her nearly-empty plate and clutched it tightly.

“Rose, what are you doing?” Jackie asked as her daughter took her empty plate, “the maid will get those.” 

“Pete?” she asked tightly, ignoring her mum, “can I take your plate?” 

He turned his head to the side, his fingers resting lightly on the china. Finally, after seeing the look of despair in her eyes, he acquiesced. “Uh, yes. Sure, thank you.” 

Quickly, she scooped up the plates and cutlery and carried them into the large kitchen. 

“Is she okay?” Pete asked.

“Just shook up, I think,” Jackie said quietly. “I’ll make sure.” 

She stared at the tap as the hot water slowly filled the large sink. She added a squeeze of dish soap and absently watched bubbles form on the top of the water.

“Rose?” Jackie called out, having followed her, “what are you doing? Pete pays good money to people so we don’t have to do this anymore. Come back to the table.”

When she looked up from the sink, the unshed tears in her eyes caused Jackie to sigh. “Oh Rose,” she said softly. I’m sorry, love.” 

Her bottom lip wobbled. “I-I just want to do something familiar, mum. Do you understand? We’ve been here two weeks and…and I just need to do something normal. This place…” she trailed off indicating the mansion they now lived in. “It-it’s really nice but..” She sobbed once and shook her head, regaining her composure. “I just need to do this. Please?” 

Jackie shook her head and squeezed her daughter’s arm, giving her a small smile. “Never thought I’d hear you beggin’ to do the dishes. You’ll be alright?” 

She nodded adamantly. “Yeah, yeah, I will, mum.” She swallowed. “Just havin’ a hard time tonight, is all.” 

“I understand, sweetheart,” she said, pulling her daughter in for a hug. “You’d tell me if you needed something, wouldn’t you?”

“Course,” she mumbled.

“Right then,” Jackie said, rubbing her hand on her daughter’s back. “I’ll leave you to it.” 

Soapy water gobbled up the small stack of plates, forks, and knives. Slowly, one at a time, Rose took the dish sponge and carefully washed each item. The warm water was soothing and after a few minutes, she found herself talking out loud. 

“You’d be teasin’ me right now, wouldn’t you?” she asked the empty room. “You’d be telling me that I’m missing out on dessert, the best part of the whole meal.” She smiled to herself. “But I believe you’d be recoiling in horror, because I heard earlier that we’re having brandied pears.” 

Turning on the water, she began rinsing the plates. “It’s too quiet here. I’m used to the hum of the ship, you know? I understand now why you have a hard time when we’d stay at new places. She just…she just really gets in your head.” Rose paused a moment. “I mean that in a good way.” 

“I keep hoping you’re coming for me, but…” she sniffled. “I mean, big fancy Time Lord like you, I was sure I’d be seeing your face again.” Her lower lip wobbled. “That pinstriped suit of yours…” 

She picked up the towel and started drying the cutlery. “And your hair and your smile and…” Tears leaked down her cheeks and she was quiet for a moment as she picked up a china plate. “And God, the way you’d look at me. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that. I won’t ever forget you, you know. All the places we visited and the people we helped.” Rose licked her lips. “And I want you to know that I’m tryin’ to adjust to life here.” She set the last plate down, leaving the pile on the sleek marble counter top. “B-but some days, it’s really hard.” 

Turning around, she sank down onto the tiled floor, tucking her knees up to her chin. She wrapped her arms around herself. “Oh Doctor,” she said softly, “do you know how lonely I am?” She squeezed her hands together and out a barely audible sob. “I miss you.”

**Author's Note:**

> As always I appreciate that you are taking the time to read my work. There are plenty of great authors out there- I'm flattered that you chose to read my story.


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